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We can scarcely conceive that for any entity the Good can be
other than the natural Act expressing its life-force, or in the
case of an entity made up of parts the Act, appropriate, natural
and complete, expressive of that in it which is best.
For the Soul, then, the Good is its own natural Act.
But the Soul itself is natively a "Best"; if, further, its act be
directed towards the Best, the achievement is not merely the
"Soul's good" but "The Good" without qualification.
Now, given an Existent which- as being itself the best of
existences and even transcending the existences- directs its Act
towards no other, but is the object to which the Act of all else
is directed, it is clear that this must be at once the Good and
the means through which all else may participate in Good.
This Absolute Good other entities may possess in two ways- by
becoming like to It and by directing the Act of their being
towards It.
Now, if all aspiration and Act whatsoever are directed towards
the Good, it follows that the Essential-Good neither need nor can
look outside itself or aspire to anything other than itself: it
can but remain unmoved, as being, in the constitution of things,
the wellspring and firstcause of all Act: whatsoever in other
entities is of the nature of Good cannot be due to any Act of the
Essential-Good upon them; it is for them on the contrary to act
towards their source and cause. The Good must, then, be the Good
not by any Act, not even by virtue of its Intellection, but by
its very rest within Itself.
Existing beyond and above Being, it must be beyond and above the
Intellectual-Principle and all Intellection.
For, again, that only can be named the Good to which all is bound
and itself to none: for only thus is it veritably the object of
all aspiration. It must be unmoved, while all circles around it,
as a circumference around a centre from which all the radii
proceed. Another example would be the sun, central to the light
which streams from it and is yet linked to it, or at least is
always about it, irremoveably; try all you will to separate the
light from the sun, or the sun from its light, for ever the light
is in the sun.
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